Charleston, SC: Attracting Millennials

Millennials don't just flock to cities with the most avocado toast or best WiFi. Access to great jobs, easy transportation, fun things to do are far more important.

A city has to have an identity, be marketed just as well as a pair of shoes and make potential new residents want to wear that brand everywhere they go. Your city should inspire people as much as a YETI cooler.

I've never met a person that just owns a YETI. It's a lifestyle. They have to put stickers on their Jeep that tell other people that they really, really enjoy cold and/or hot beverages. If you bring an average beverage holder they look at you like you're from 1917.

A generation ago, the Bay Area, Austin, Seattle, Charlotte, and a few others grew rapidly.

What locations will attract this new generation? Charleston, SC makes the list of four cities that are making specific moves to attract Millennials:

3. Charleston, South Carolina

Millennials are flocking to this coastal and culturally-rich metro. "Charleston's Millennial population grew by 48 percent (2000-2016) making it one of the top Millennial magnets in the nation (outpacing the U.S. at 11 percent growth)," wrote Claire Gibbons, director of global marketing and communications at the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, in an email.

This Southern community is consistently ranked one of the best cities in the world thanks to its beautiful beaches, historic architecture, thriving creative culture, and cluster of James Beard-worthy restaurants.

Charleston's rapidly growing tech scene--250-plus tech companies--is adding jobs that offer the opportunity to do cutting-edge work all while balancing surfing lunches, bringing your dog to work, and more. To match Millennials to the 22,000 new jobs the region expects over the next two years, Charleston launched Charleston Open Source to build national awareness and plug people into local jobs.